A/N: Revised (spell-checked, etc.) on August 22, 2007. (: I split the original oneshot into two separate chapters—I didn't add anything yet, but I think I might.

Gabriella Montez's brown eyes widened. "Taylor, you're kidding!"

Taylor McKessie's own brown eyes showed no trace of jocularity, and she shook her brown curls adamantly. "Nope. We're through." She didn't show any sign of emotion, but instead kept on walking through the aisles between the library bookshelves, looking for books on the mammalian brain for her research paper.

Gabriella let out a soft but exasperated sign and followed her best friend, who seemed nonchalant about the whole ordeal, simply peering at the stickers on the binding of the books to see what the call number was. "But, I don't get it! Taylor… you were perfect together. You—"

Taylor held up a finger to silence her friend. "We were too different," she explained, a bit condescendingly, as was her habit. She shrugged, her pink blazer going up and down on her shoulders.

"But Troy and I—"Gabriella paused, seeing a book that she might be able to use on her own research paper. Taking it from the shelf, she jumped when a pair of ocean-blue eyes stared at her. "Oh my gosh!" She instinctively flailed for the book and caught it, but not before she herself landed on her bottom. "Ow," she finally said quietly, as to not upset Ms. Falseff, the librarian.

The blue eyes disappeared and reappeared on Gabriella's side of the bookshelf. Troy Bolton looked a bit sheepish.

"Way to go, Troy," Gabriella said sarcastically. "Scaring me out of my wits… stalker," she couldn't help but laugh.

Troy laughed along with her, then turned serious. "Me and you…what?"

Taylor stared at the two, shaking her head in despair. "You have guts," she muttered to Troy. When he gave her an odd look, she said, "Gabriella doesn't understand why Chad and I broke up. We're too different—"

"—but you and I are basically just like Chad and Taylor," Gabriella cut in to finish.

"Oh," Troy pretended to look disappointed. "So you weren't talking about me?" he pretended to sulk. "I see how it is. There's someone else, isn't there?"

Gabriella's mouth hung open before she realized that Troy was kidding. She slugged him in the arm. "You're horrible. And we're just friends, anyway." Just friends. The torturous echo resounded in her mind again and again, and she felt sick after having said it.

"Heh…yeah. Just friends." Troy's grin faded into a small smile.

Taylor watched the two, a bit amused. Why can't they see it? She smiled. Everyone else can.

"You're still coming over to study, though, right? or should we meet at the library?" Gabriella broke the silence. "Even though, you know. We're in the library right now?" she thanked God that her cheeks weren't reddening. You're rambling.

"Yeah… of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Troy's grin was back in place, but his eyes didn't dance like they had before Gabriella had mentioned that fact—they were just friends. He shook his head at himself, and how foolish he was acting. A part of him knew that Gabriella would never know how much he had meant that last sentence. Sure, he'd had crushes on girls before… but he had never been able to speak up or do anything about it. And the girls that now constantly pined for him in high school yet had ignored him in junior high disgusted yet amused him—although Troy had never thought to do anything so cruel as to entertain them.

"Cool… so, see you then?"

Troy didn't answer, still absorbed in his own thoughts.

"Troy?...School's over."

Taylor waved her hand in front of Troy's face, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting out laughing. She smirked at Gabriella, who immediately turned away.

Gabriella felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. She loved Taylor as much as a sister, but why did she always have to be so suggestive?

"Huh?" Troy finally came back to the real world. "Oh. Yeah. Do you have a ride?" Although not said, it was evident that the invitation was to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked at Taylor, who immediately said, "I have a ride. My brother's coming home from college to visit for awhile. I'll be fine." On the way out of the library, Taylor whispered in a sing-song voice, "Have fu-un!"

Gabriella swatted her friend away, and felt her cheeks grow pinker. If they had, Troy didn't say anything.

"My car's this way," he said simply. He began moving towards the exit, then saw that Gabriella had a book in her hand. "You going to take that to check-out?"

How thoughtful. "Um… no. It's okay. I think that I'm doing fine with my paper… do you need help?"

"Eh… maybe. See? I have paper at home… it's the research part that's getting me," Troy laughed good-naturedly.

"Too much practice?"

"Yeah… and Kelsi's not available to practice much now, since she has a boyfriend." His face held a smug look. "Jason and Kelsi. Who'd have ever known?" He started to walk her to the library exit, and held the door open for her. "After you, m'lady," Troy laughed.

Gabriella gave him a mock curtsy and batted her eyelashes dramatically. She went through the open door and waited for him on the other side, slowing down.

Troy made a move to follow her, but a group of those same girls in miniskirts came through. He sighed exasperatedly and waited for them to go through. They giggled and wiggled their fingers at him, batting their eyelashes. He hated it when girls did that. Wait… isn't that hypocritical? Gabriella just batted her eyelashes… he looked up, moaning softly. Why did life have to be so confusing? Before Gabriella came along, his life was simple—and now, strangely, it was complicated. Stranger still, he knew he wouldn't have it any other way.

After the girls had finally made it through the door after what had seemed like ages, he rejoined Gabriella, falling into step with her. "So… what are you doing your paper on?"

Troy smiled. After school, and Gabriella was already thinking about academics.

"Eh…" was all he could offer.

Gabriella clicked her tongue, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mr. Bolton. I will see you after class." She imitated Mrs. Darbus perfectly, and laughed when she was finished.

Troy laughed with her. He was relieved to look down at his hands and notice that they weren't in his pockets anymore. "But, Your Honor… I have practice after that!" he played along.

"Basketball season is over, Bolton!"

"The winter musical--?"

"Is also over!" Gabriella laughed and went out of "Darbus" mode. "It was just two weeks ago," she smiled.

Troy loved it when she smiled. It was as if one of those smiles held enough happiness to take all of the cares in the world away. "I had fun," he said, suddenly serious. The smile was still in place.

"So did I." Gabriella stared intently at him, almost waiting for him to kiss her.

Troy impulsively leaned towards her, and their noses touched.

"Troy!" Zeke interrupted, unaware of the "scene" he had just ruined. Sharpay was with him, her golden-blonde hair bouncing up and down as usual.

Troy jumped (backwards, unfortunately). He touched the back of his neck, pretending it was itchy. He did this whenever it was awkward or he just didn't want to give eye contact. Gabriella backed away, too, turning a shade of peachy-pink.

"Huh?" Troy said finally.

"Me and Sharpay are together!" Zeke's smile was brilliant, and so was the one on his new girlfriend's face—Sharpay clung to Zeke's arm like it was her only source of breath and life.

"He's going to make me… cookies!" Sharpay's voice came out like a deranged screech, and she giggled hysterically like she had the night of the callbacks, basketball game, and scholastic decathlon—when she had first tried Zeke's cookies.

"Oh, uh… that's great."

Zeke and Sharpay didn't seem to notice Troy's lack of enthusiasm, as they hurried away to spread the "good news" to everyone else.

"Sharpay and I," Gabriella murmured. She couldn't help but correct Zeke's incorrect English. "Sharpay and I."

Troy dug the toe of his sneaker into the gravel of the school parking lot. Did he dare look up at Gabriella's face? What if she didn't want to be kissed? The close bond that they had developed as friends—they had insisted that fact to Taylor, Chad, and basically everyone else, would be torn down immediately. Everyone knows it… you're perfect together. If you don't say something… she can't wait forever, Troy. Eventually some other guy will come along, and they'll fall in love… because he wasn't afraid of what might happen. He was willing to take a risk and hope that she felt the same way. And, I'm sorry to say, Troy… there's nobody to blame but yourself. Troy shuddered a little bit, remembering at how sober Chad had sounded when he had spoken to his friend.

"Yeah… 'Sharpay and I,' " he echoed, not exactly knowing what to say. He finally looked up and met her intent gaze.

"I just remembered… I have to go… uh, do something… so I can't help you study tonight… sorry! Maybe Taylor can…?" Gabriella stumbled over every word, and almost tripped over her own feet, she was running away so fast. Her face turned pinker and eventually a shade of red. The fact that she, Gabriella Montez, had almost kissed him, Troy Bolton, took her breath away—whether that was good or bad, she wouldn't know, but she was sure that she didn't want to pass out on school property.

"Uh, yeah…okay," he called after her, even though he knew she probably couldn't hear him. I knew it. She's just too nice to just beat me up. I'd rather that she had beat me up rather than run away. Troy held his head in his hands and sat down on the ground, still in his jogging pants and plain white T-shirt from basketball practice. Crud, I must've smelled horrible… wait, never mind. I showered after practice. But maybe if I'd worn something different…? He shook his head at himself in disgust at all of the excuses he made up for her. It doesn't matter. She wouldn't have stayed if I looked like… like one of those Hollywood pretty boys. He moaned and lay down on the grass, covering his eyes with his hands.